Junior Luke Budzik keeps Vikes in the lead. (Andrew Barren’22/Media editor)
Entering this past week with a 1-2-1 record, the Viking soccer squad looked to add two more tallies in its win column in two games on Hondros Field.
On Thursday, September 5, the group hosted Bishop Hartley. The visiting Hawks were consumed from the start, as Academy maintained possession and capitalized often. Junior leader Jonah Houston got the scoring starting early and Academy never looked back. Senior Sam Massick netted a goal before the half to give the Vikes a 2-0 lead at the break.
After the intermission, the team showed no signs of slowing down, with captain Charlie Mueller’20 scoring quickly before Massick netted two more to complete the hat trick. Up 5-0, the team began to relax a bit, allowing the Hawks to strike a ball just over junior keeper Luke Budzik’s head to prevent a shutout. Blake Chiovaro’20 capitalized on a late penalty kick opportunity to cement a massive 6-1 victory over Hartley.
Following some social media banter, the Vikes were excited to take on league rival Bexley for a chance to maintain the Annual Cup for the third consecutive year on Saturday, September 7.
CA started off the game exactly as they wanted, locking up the Lions all over the field. Some off-field annoyances came into play as the game stayed chippy throughout. The first score didn’t come until late in the first half, as Mueller crossed a ball in perfectly that Houston headed on towards the goal. A Bexley defender attempted to clear it, but the ball snuck in, giving the Vikes a 1-0 lead at the half.
Unfortunately, the second half didn’t go as smoothly as the first, as the Vikings just couldn’t find their stride. Bexley pocketed a late goal with 12 minutes left, and with no one able to get a clean opportunity, regular time ended in a tie. Normally, this would stay as the result of the game, but for the purpose of naming a winner for the Annual Cup, the teams headed into penalty kicks.
Massick went first, faking the goalie and capitalizing. Bexley did the same, tying it up 1-1. Chiovaro kept the momentum going, sneaking a ball beyond the keeper, as Bexley failed to score, giving CA the 2-1 lead. Houston scored and was matched by Bexley, 3-2. Elias Marquez’20 stepped up to cement a win but barely missed. In the Lions attempt to even it up, Budzik made an enormous stop to keep the lead. Finally, Mueller walked onto the pitch and sent a perfect ball beyond the goalie, handing the Vikes the Annual Cup and a 4-2 win.
In the coming week, the team has its biggest game of the season at Wellington on Wednesday, September 11. After the huge matchup against the Jaguars, the Vikes hit the road to take on Jonathan Alder on Saturday, September 14.
